Three eggs, gently beaten* with a couple of tablespoons of Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs that had been well-saturated with water (and got a little extra seasoning, including a dash of smoked paprika) and poured into a 10" skillet over medium-low heat. I snipped (kitchen shears are your friends!) bits of Swiss cheese into as it was starting to gel a bit, about three-quarters of a slice. I usually offset the pan on the burner, so the side I'll eventually fold to the top cooks a little more quickly than the one on the bottom.
I'd gently fried three small slices of Lebanon bologna first, mostly to get some of the fat out of them and into the pan. As the omelette continued to cook, I snipped two of them over it, leaving a kind of "hinge" clear across the the diameter of it. Then I added several big pinches of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, snipped a couple of pickled Piparra peppers over that and followed up with the last of the meat and Swiss cheese.
The omelette was ready to fold shortly after that, which went uneventfully -- there's a specialized spatula called, originally enough, an "omelette turner" that makes this much simpler. A few minutes more cooking (about half the time covered to ensure it would cook through) and a couple of flips finished the job. It turned out to be a good combination.
One of these days, I should do a short article on kitchen tools. I have accumulated many over the years, but a very few of them do the bulk of the work. Certainly a nonstick-safe spatula and spoon plus a sharp, medium-large knife and a good cutting board are core elements, with a ladle, meat thermometer and slotted spoon not far behind. Measuring tools are mostly for baking; I mix omelettes in a two-cup measure because it's a handy size about as often as I used it to meter out quantities of ingredients.
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* If you want a thick, fluffy omelette that rises in the cooking, use more breadcrumbs and beat vigorously. If you want it thinner, use less crumbs, perhaps a bit more water and mix gently, minimizing the amount of air it takes in.
Update
4 days ago
2 comments:
Thank you for the pan offset on the fire..
I like omelettes and that was the last little thing to get
the fold to happen nice and easy.
Todays used some left over zucchini, onions, sweet paper,
onion, and sliced cherry tomatoes sauteed onion first then
add the rest and salt and pepper with a little Italian
spice mix with a few tablespoons of leftover jar tomato
sauce,made up the eggs while cooking added shredded
mozzarella and the left over zucchini hash and make the
fold and a glorious fold and we have a lunch omelette!
Keep cooking, food glorious food!
Eck!
I’ve got to echo Eck’s kudos for the offset tip, I feel dumb for never having thought of that.
Believe it or not, America’s Test Kitchen has some egg cooking videos out on YouTube that are pretty amazing. They recommend finishing omelettes in the oven at 350-400, it works perfectly. And if you’re into a FLUFFY omelette, they recommend a little cream of tartar with some milk in addition to a vigorous whisking. I love them, but my wife won’t bother herself with eating it, says I’ve made a quiche instead.
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